The best photography spots in Kandy

Light in Kandy is shaped by hills and humidity. The sun rises behind the forest east of the lake and sets behind Bahirawakanda in the west. Because the city lies in a bowl, direct light reaches the water later and leaves earlier than the clock suggests.

The middle of the day in Kandy is difficult for photography. From about 10 to 3 the light is overhead and harsh, and haze flattens the hills. Use those hours for shaded subjects such as the market, temple interiors and the forest.

Kandy Lake at dawn is the city's finest scene. Stand on the southern or eastern shore and look back towards the temple as the mist lifts. The white cloud wall, the reflections and the first joggers give foreground interest.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic photographs best from across the moat in the late afternoon, when the octagonal tower and red roofs are side-lit. After dark the building is floodlit and the wall niches glow, which makes a tripod or a steady hand worthwhile.

Inside the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the subject is people. Drummers in white and red play in the lower hall as the puja begins, and devotees carry trays of lotus and jasmine up the stairs. The upper hall, in front of the shrine, is crowded and dim.

Photographing the puja needs a fast lens or a high sensitivity setting, since flash is forbidden. Be discreet: this is worship, not a performance. Do not block the queue, do not photograph the open shrine at close range if attendants object, and never turn your back on a Buddha image for a portrait.

Arthur's Seat is the best-known viewpoint for photographing Kandy. It faces north across the lake, so the scene is evenly lit for most of the day. The hour before sunset gives warm colour, and the 20 minutes after it give the blue hour with the city lights on.

Bahirawakanda offers the reverse angle, looking east over the whole town from beside the giant Buddha. A longer lens picks out the temple roof against the forest. The statue itself, lit against a darkening sky, is a strong subject from the streets below.

Kandy Central Market is the place for colour and character. Fruit stalls at the entrance, spice sellers in the aisles and fishmongers at the back all make good subjects between 7 and 10 in the morning. Most stallholders enjoy being photographed if asked.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya give Kandy's most graphic compositions. The avenue of royal palms, the buttressed roots of the giant fig and the suspension bridge over the Mahaweli work in any light. Around 5 in the afternoon, thousands of flying foxes stir in the trees.

Etiquette for photography in Kandy is the same as elsewhere in Sri Lanka, only stricter near the temple. Ask before photographing monks, and do not photograph security checkpoints, soldiers or police. Disrespect towards Buddha images, including in photographs, has led to visitors being fined and deported.

Drones in Kandy are tightly controlled. All drones must be registered with the civil aviation authority, and flights over the temple, the lake and the palace area are prohibited. Lankan Stays & Trails can advise on permits for professional shoots, which need to be applied for well in advance.

A photographer's day in Kandy starts before sunrise at the lake, moves to the market by 8 and retreats indoors at midday. The afternoon belongs to Peradeniya, and the evening to Arthur's Seat and the puja.

The Esala Perahera, in July or August, is the great photographic event of Kandy. Torchlight, dancers and caparisoned elephants pass for hours. It demands a reserved seat, a fast lens and patience, and the daylight preparations at the devales are as photogenic as the procession itself.